How to Tow a Building-Sized Iceberg

French engineer Georges Mougin has a big idea. He wants to go to Antarctica, tie a big rope around a six-million-ton iceberg, drag it back to Africa and melt it into fresh, drinkable water.

Some might call him crazy, but Mougin reckons the plan could work. Using 3D computer simulations and declassified satellite data, his “IceDream” team believes that towing a drifting mountain of fresh water to Africa is absolutely possible.

He came up with the plan more than three decades ago, when he and polar explorer Paul-Emile Victor met with a Saudi prince called Mohamed al-Faisal. They formed the ITI Company ( Iceberg Transport International) and looked at the epic project’s feasibility from 1975 to 1981.

But with various obstacles, a lack of data and insufficient technology, the team realized the project was unrealistic. Mougin shelved the outlandish idea and put the dream on pause.

That is, until 2009. He discovered a French technology firm called Dassault Systèmes which creates 3D worlds and algorithmic simulations to design and test future products. Mougin could now test his various theories on iceberg-towing virtually, to see whether his idea would be feasible.

Those computer simulations allowed Mougin to answer a number of questions. By mapping the heat exchanges of the iceberg under the blazing sun, he could anticipate the amount the iceberg would melt in transit. Another simulation can show how the iceberg would crack and break up over time.

He also used meteorological and oceanographic data from satellites to track currents, and decide how to tow an iceberg from Newfoundland to the Canary Isles. This gave him all the data he needed to figure out how the journey would happen.

According to Mougin, an iceberg of several million tons can be towed several thousand kilometers to the Canary Islands, in 141 days, using just one tugboat. The ‘berg would lose 38 percent of its mass during the trip, and a skirt made from non-woven geotextile strips could keep it from breaking apart.

Encouraged by the results, the IceDream team has plans to take the idea beyond the realm of simulation, and try it in the real world. According to Fast Company, there are talks, at least, of a real-world trial in 2012 or 2013.